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CNN NEWSROOM
Designer Vittorio Missoni Missing Since Yesterday; Angry Protesters Gather in Steubenville Ohio; Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Still Battling Lung Infection; Lance Armstrong's Attorney Denies Reports of Discussions with Anti-doping Agencies
Aired January 5, 2013 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: It's 3:00 in the East, noon on the West Coast. I'm Martin Savidge in for Fredricka Whitfield. If you are just tuning in, thank you very much for joining us. And here are the stories, the top one that we're following right now in the CNN NEWSROOM.
A major name in fashion is missing. A small plane carrying Vittorio Missoni, his wife and four others disappeared off the coast of Venezuela yesterday. The search is continuing. Even though Missoni created a line of clothes for Target, you may not be familiar with his name. Although if you follow fashion, that's hard to be believed.
Stefano Tonchi is the editor of "W" magazine and is he here to, on the phone actually, to fill us in. He joins us from the Hamptons.
How big a name, just describe for everyone how big a name he is in the fashion world.
STEFANO TONCHI, EDITOR IN-CHIEF, W MAGAZINE (via phone): Well, Missoni's for sure one of the biggest like Italian fashion dynasty. The company was started in the '50s by his father and mother, Tai and Rosita Missoni, and they made like an incredible impact in the history of fashion through their very colorful knitwear.
SAVIDGE: And that was it. It was the style he came up with that will kind of defined the family name. I mean, describe it for people who may not know it.
TONCHI: Well, I mean what you probably remember are like these multicolor like striped sweaters that became very popular in the '60s and the '70s like one of the first big exports of its Italian fashion you know. And Missoni with like the Fendi and Ferragamo and Gucci are some of the names that made history.
Then in the '80s, they moved to Milan and made Milan like one of the capitals of fashion in the world. And later, Vittorio with Angela and the brother Luca, they inherited the business from their parents and they kind of tried to make the Missoni name more approachable for a new generation.
SAVIDGE: And that really does seem to be one of the keys to the success, the marketing here to make it available to everyone. Not just to say wealthy people fixed on high fashion. TONCHI: Or just high fashion. Also to have different kind of product at different levels but also you know, Missoni is producing also great like fabrics and great like pieces for the home. Luis Vittorio was very involved into blending out of just fashion and opening hotels. They have one I think in the Far East, another one in Scotland, so, a lot of different ways to expand the name and the reach of the brand.
It's very important today when you have you know, an old dynasty with a great like history but you want to reach out to a new generation and younger consumers to go out and do new things and the collaboration with target was most recently was like quite genius, you know? If you remember, there were like the product was sold out in few weeks, and there were lines like at the stores in Manhattan where that line was available.
SAVIDGE: Yes, it was. I want to read for you a statement I believe that we have from the family. And if we can put it up on the screen then I can read it. It goes like this "the Missoni Company confirms that Vittorio Missoni and his wife are missing, underline missing there, in Venezuela. The small plane they were traveling on has disappeared. The company asks the press to kindly respect the family's privacy at this time." We certainly will do that.
Stefano Tonchi, go ahead.
TONCHI: I'm very close to the family and I can say that we all hope that Vittorio will be back with us, with all the family. And that you know, we are not losing hopes, and I think Angela that is really close to me, we grow up together in a certain way. We have the same age. We are from the same generation and all the rest of the family, Rosita and Tai, you know, they are all hoping, I mean, hope is really like the word. We want to emphasize.
And we will hope with you. Stefano Tonchi, who is the editor in-chief of "W" magazine, thank you very much for joining us.
TONCHI: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: In other news, four people including a gunman are dead in Aurora, Colorado after a standoff inside a home. Police say a SWAT teams reportedly shot and killed the suspected gunman after he opened fire on a police officer from a window. Three people were found dead inside of that home. Aurora, of course, is where 12 people were killed and 58 others injured when a gunman opened fire in a mean theater last summer.
Well today, angry protesters are gathered in Steubenville Ohio, that's where two high school football players, Ma'lik Richmond and Trent Mays are accused of rape underage girl. This morning, the city's police chief talked about the investigation and a video that surfaced showing some teens joking about the alleged rape.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WILLIAM MCCAFFERTY, CHIEF POLICE, STEUBENVILLE: Early in the case during the first week after we were made aware of this incident we obtained this video. I too as all my officers who investigated this were appalled by these morally inept statements made. The new prosecutors, the special prosecutors for the high attorney AG's office, everything was submitted to them. They decide what charges if any would be filed.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: I asked national correspondent Susan Candiotti earlier why so many people had turned up for this protest.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They don't think some of them that police have done a thorough job of investigating it. They allege that there has been a cover-up. Now authorities and the city insist that there has been no cover-up, that they are doing a thorough investigation and that the people that have been charged will have justice done at a trial coming up next month. But there are a lot of people here on both sides. They're staging a noisy protest here and many of them feel that the city hasn't done enough to get down to the bottom of this. We'll all find out as that trial begins -- Marty?
SAVIDGE: I understand Susan, you have exclusive new details of an alleged text message that was sent from the 16-year-old girl to Trent Mays. And he, of course, is one of the boys accused of raping her. What did the text say?
CANDIOTTI: That's right. This comes to us from the defense attorney for Trent Mays. Now, he tells us and it says "I know you didn't rape me." Now, he says that this was sent on August 14, but let's keep in mind here he did not show me the text. We also don't know the Context of it, whether that's the only text, whether there were several texts, did some precede it, did some follow it, what was the tone. These are some of the unanswered questions that we have. Here's the timeline to remind people of this.
SAVIDGE: There's been discrepancies talked about the victim and what state she might have been in. And I'm wondering, what does her attorney say about her physical state?
CANDIOTTI: Well, that, of course, is what we wanted to know, too. He will not comment, nor will many other people about the evidence of this case or about the text message in particular. But he did have this to say about the text message or messages that may have been sent that night. Listen.
BOB FITZSIMMONS, ATTORNEY FOR ALLEGED OHIO RAPE VICTIM (via phone): This young girl was unconscious so she wouldn't have the ability to know whether she was raped or not on the day after or two days after, three, whatever the timing of that was. We also don't know and we don't know whether the defendants were texting trying to coerce or talk people into making statements and trying to build up a defense for themselves after they started realizing, this thing kind of unfolded.
SAVIDGE: She was unconscious, so how do we really know what happened that night?
CANDIOTTI: Well, in fact, there's even been testimony in a probable cause hearing back on October 14th that she told police she didn't remember anything about what happened that night. However, there are at least three witnesses that testified at that hearing, one of them testified that he saw this 16-year-old girl being raped.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Susan Candiotti. The trial of the two 16-year-old suspects by the way, starts on February 13th.
In India, the men accused of gang raping and killing a woman will be in court on Monday to hear the charges against them. They are being charged with murder, rape, and kidnapping and will be tried in a fast track court where cases are tried quickly. The brutal crime has prompted protests across the country. Meanwhile, the woman's friend who was also beaten during the alleged attack spoke out for the first time about their ordeal.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): From where we boarded the bus, they took us around for two, two and a half hours across overpasses through all of Delhi. Then they dropped us below an overpass. Then they tried to run over us. We had no clothes. We waited there hoping someone would try to help us. I tried to flag down vehicles. Three wheeler taxis would slow down, take a look at us and move on. We got no help for nearly 20 or 25 minutes.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Now the police are refuting the friend's claim that there was a delay and any help arriving.
Let's go to Venezuela now where lawmakers just elected a national assembly president. So why should you care? The impact of that move could be significant if President Hugo Chavez's health doesn't improve. Chavez is still battling a severe lung infection. Venezuelan officials have said the 58-year-old leader is fighting for his health. That's a quote. His inauguration is set for next week but the new head of the national assembly could serve as interim president if Chavez does not survive or if he's incapacitated.
Lance Armstrong's attorney is denying reports of discussions between his client and anti-doping agencies. That statement follows a "New York Times" report that the disgraced cycling legend was considering publicly admitting to doping. They asked attorneys Avery Friedman and Richard Herman how likely that is.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AVERY FRIEDMAN, CIVIL RIGHTS ATTORNEY: The death that Lance Armstrong would admit to anything about illegal use of drugs, about the lies he's told to federal, state and local officials and to agency people, there's no legal or constitutional sense behind making an admission. I think the attorney quoted in the "Times" was absolutely correct. He's not going to say anything. It's not going to happen. They're both civil and criminal implications. You will never see a confession here by Lance Armstrong.
RICHARD HERMAN, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I disagree with Avery. I think in his head, he has to come clean and admit it. But really, do we as a society, do we care? We know what this guy's done. Nobody wins seven in a row. Nobody can win seven races like that without doping. It doesn't happen.
FRIEDMAN: That's it.
HERMAN: He thinks he has an opportunity for reinstatement if he comes clean, and.
FRIEDMAN: So what?
HERMAN: It's like Michael Corleone in the godfather. You want absolution. He's going to try to come clean with himself. It's too late.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Lance Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from cycling for life last year. The U.S. anti- doping agency cited overwhelming evidence that he was involved in a doping program. Armstrong has repeatedly denied doping.
OK, if you thought the fiscal cliff was nasty, just wait till you see how Congress handles spending cuts and the debt ceiling. We'll talk to a Republican congressman who actually supported the fiscal cliff deal and find out how he thinks the other deals are going to get done.
When it's OK to alter the historical accuracy of an official photograph, apparently when it's very cold outside. Passengers on board a flight from Iceland to New York find a unique way to stop an unruly passenger. We'll tell you what they did in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: We saw it with the fiscal cliff. Now the Capitol Hill confrontations over the debt ceiling are expected to get as intense if really not worse. The debt ceiling is the legal limit on the nation's borrowing. In his weekly address, the president says that he is taking a hard line on the issue. Listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: One thing I will not compromise over is whether or not Congress should pay the tab for a bill they've already racked up. If Congress refused to give the United States the ability to pay their bills on time, the consequences for the entire global economy could be catastrophic. The last time Congress threatened this action, our entire economy suffered for it. Our families and our businesses cannot afford that dangerous game again. (END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: As you would expect, Republicans are also drawing a line despite approving the fiscal cliff compromise it, GOP lawmakers say the deal was missing long-term spending cuts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. DAVE CAMP (R), MICHIGAN: The simple truth is that we are in this fiscal mess because Washington takes too much of your money and then wastes it. That's the real problem. And it needs a real solution. We have to make sure Washington is accountable for every tax dollar it spends. We have to make sure that your money is spent efficiently and effectively.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: So here's the question. Can a Congress this fractured really get anything done?
I'm joined by Republican congressman Ender Crenshaw.
And Congressman, thank you for being with us.
REP. ANDER CRENSHAW (R), FLORIDA: Thank you, Martin.
SAVIDGE: I actually want to start with the fiscal cliff deal because you voted in favor of it. I just would like to know, what made you decide to support it?
CRENSHAW: Well, a couple of things. I would love to have voted to cut some more spending but we didn't have that option. But what I did have was an option to stop the largest tax increase from hitting most Americans. We've been trying to make those tax cuts permanent for ten years. We had a chance to do that. And so I think that's a positive step.
And one of the other reasons, Martin, that I voted in favor of this because this put of this so-called sequester of defense funds. As you may know, we were getting ready to take over a half a trillion dollars out of the defense budget over the next ten years. And that would have devastated our national defense. We've already cut spending in defense by $480 billion nearly one half a trillion dollars and another half a trillion would have had a disastrous effect so I had a chance to vote yes to put that off.
As Leon Panetta said who, is the secretary of defense, Democrat appointed by Obama, when they asked him would this destroy our national security, would it be like shooting yourself in the foot? Well he said, no. It would be like shooting yourself in the head. And so, the fact we can put that off for at least a time when we try to solve the problem of spending, that's the focus now as you just heard from Congressman Kemp. We're going to focus our attention on stopping the spending madness in Washington. And that's going to be the next fight. SAVIDGE: Let me just, you know, there were, of course, counter opinions to what you just said especially when it comes to defense. There were somebody head in the system, secretary of defense on this program last week, who said that actually, the defense department was perhaps the best of all the departments to sustain major cuts because they've got a lot of money, a lot of expensive programs that could be delayed such as modern fighter planes that aren't necessarily need to be designed from scratch. You could go with more sustainable F-18, the more modern derivations of those nuclear weapons. Those are the things. So, why not cut defense in ways that make sense?
CRENSHAW: Well, I think the defense department ought to be subject to the same efficiencies as everybody else. But remember last year we decided we're going to take one half a trillion dollars out of defense over the next ten years. That's a pretty big chunk. Then to say we're going to take another half a trillion dollars over the next ten years, then, you start destroying our ability. And when you talk about cuts, remember, there's a concern priorities. And I happen to believe and a lot of people believe that is the number one responsibility of the federal government. So we've got to be very careful. Sure we ought to make them more efficient. When you take a half a trillion dollars and another half a trillion dollars, you start to affect our ability to keep America safe and strong.
SAVIDGE: Congress has really difficult issues ahead. It's not just the debt ceiling. And I'm wondering, when is the fence mending going to begin and how do you do this?
CRENSHAW: Well, I'll tell you this. The next big battle as you pointed out earlier is going to be when we decide whether or not to raise the debt ceiling. And what I'm hoping is, the Republicans are going to lay out a plan to say here's the way we can stop the spending madness because everybody knows Washington has a spending problem. If we lay out for the American people this is how weigh propose to stop spending so much money, hopefully we'll have a bipartisan agreement. Hopefully we'll have everybody come together like we tried to do last time.
The president says he wants to cut spending. Democrats say they want to cut spending. So far, there's been very little action. But, if we can let the American people know what our specific plans are, then, we are going to say, we are either going to this and all going to agree together or we're going to force you, Mr. President, because we have some leverage this time. We're not going to keep spending money like this. We're out of money. The credit card is full. And we're going to have to stop right now.
SAVIDGE: Republican congressman Ander Crenshaw from Florida. Thank you for joining us in this discussion that is bound to continue. Thanks.
CRENSHAW: Thank you.
SAVIDGE: And have you ever just wanted to string somebody up, say maybe a fellow airline passenger? Well, we'll tell you what happened to one, apparently annoying, traveler in the skies over "the Atlantic. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Here's what is making headlines around the world.
After a night of violence in Northern Ireland, more pro British protests today. Authorities say that nine police officers were injured in Belfast yesterday, 18 people were arrested. The protests have rocked parts of Northern Ireland since Belfast's city council voted last month to stop flying the union flag, otherwise known as the union jack year round.
In Syria, amateur video shows the aftermath of an apparent car bomb on a main street in Damascus. At least 57 people have been killed in Syria on this Saturday according to an opposition group. President Bashar Al Assad is expected to speak on Sunday.
And state media reports that the French born actor Gerard Depardieu due has arrived in Russia after announcing he has accepted citizenship there. Wow. The movie star recently fled his native France in a high profile protest of French tax hikes on the rich. Depardieu is expected to meet with President Vladimir Putin. I guess that's a perk you get when you change.
Well, we have got a disturbing incident on a flight from Iceland to New York. It was on a flight yesterday, but nothing like this happened. Iceland airline spokesperson says the man started hitting, screaming and spitting at other passengers while yelling profanities. So what happened next?
CNN international anchor Jonathan Mann joins us with this story that -- I mean we've all been aggravated passengers but this goes to the extreme.
JONATHAN MANN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It really does. Fellow passengers who spoke to the media in New York say this guy got on the plane with his duty-free bottle of liquor and consumed the whole thing. That means we can guess we're talking about 34 ounces of alcohol in a two-hour period. Do the math, ten shots an hour for two hours? It's a lot of liquor. He became violent, belligerent and the other passengers and the crew took action. He was threatening other passengers.
So, as funny as that shot may look, that photograph of him trusted up like a turkey, this is a dangerous man in a metal tube thousands of feet in the air. This is what they did to him using duct tape and zip ties. They basically had him confined for another six hours like that.
According to Icelandic air, he was monitored the whole time. They made sure nothing worse happened to him. A man that drunk could get ill. They just watch them and wait for the whole thing to end. It did. And he was got off the plane and met by police.
SAVIDGE: So, is that legal? Is it vigilantism? Who is the legal authority on an airplane in the middle of nowhere? MANN: You know, excellent question. We'll refer it to the Supreme Court for now. But, I can tell you that it's standard procedure. So, one presumes it is legal. They actually keep Icelandic air keeps duct tape and zip ties on all of their planes. Presumably they have wd-40 to go with the duct tape. Other airlines inside the United States don't necessarily have the duct tape but there are means to restrain passengers, sometimes they do with twist ties, sometimes with seat belts that can come off the seats. We've heard of that in a few cases where they've used seat belts to retrain the passengers. You hear about air marshals being on flights. But, a lot of times it is fellow passengers who just have enough.
SAVIDGE: You know, and I read this report and I saw that he was taken into custody but he hasn't been charged.
MANN: Has not been charged. Once again, this is interesting. He was so drunk presumably they took him to hospital. Not to jail when he got off the plane. And then they let him go it would seem. He wasn't charged because according to one account, they couldn't find other passengers who wanted to come forth and actually register a complaint against him. I guess people got their bags, went home, laughed off or shrugged it off.
But once again, if you're a flight attendant, if you are a pilot, this is no joke. This is a dangerous man who has got a lot of people literally captive in that plane. So good on them. I'm glad they did that.
SAVIDGE: Yes. No, I agree with you. I'm surprised they don't have the handcuffs actually. I thought that would be a practical.
MANN: The plastic cuffs, the kind of things you see POWs in U.S. custody. They are serious. You can't get over them and they do apparently have those on U.S. flight.
SAVIDGE: Jonathan Mann, thanks very much, were all thing hope I the air and beyond. Appreciate it.
Well, when the fiscal cliff deal went through, so did a bunch of tax perks. Wait till you hear who is getting a tax break from Uncle Sam.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: It is 3:30 in the east, 12:30 on the west coast. I'm Martin Savidge, in for Fredricka Whitfield. If you're just tuning in, thank you for joining us.
Let's take a look now at the top stories we're following here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
The alleged rape of an underage girl by two football players in Steubenville, Ohio has drawn widespread outrage. It's an incident that has been fueled by social media. It has put the national spotlight on the Steubenville where protesters are rallying today.
CNN's Poppy Harlow looks into the impact on the small struggling town defined by its young athletes.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JERRY BARILLA, BUSINESS OWNER, STEUBENVILLE: This is 55, this is 47.
POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): For 72 years, Jerry Barilla has called the small town in Steubenville, Ohio home. Football is big here, right?
BARILLA: Football is big here.
HARLOW: How big?
BARILLA: Well, it's our hopes and our dreams are in football.
HARLOW: The success of Steubenville high's big red football team is a bright spot, he says, in a town whose economy has been hurting forever since the decline of the steel mills.
TOM VENDITTI, COMMUNITY MEMBER: Big red football is you know, equivalent to NFL.
HARLOW: Really?
VENDITTI: I mean, literally.
HARLOW: But with two big red football players charged with rape in August and increasing social media attention since then, many in this town feel under fire.
What has this done to the town of Steubenville?
BARILLA: Well, it has put a cloud over the city. And I feel really it's unjustified. The buzz that keeps coming about is that Steubenville is a bad place, things are being covered up. More people should be arrested. And I feel that's all unjustly so.
HARLOW: Activist hacker group anonymous and others have suggested more students may have taken part in the alleged assault or that authorities went easy on the football players, though, two have been arrested and charged with rape.
Who do you feel like is saying this whole town has a black eye is bad? Who do you feel like is saying that?
BARILLA: I think one of the things of mind is the internet. The --.
HARLOW: Certainly gone viral.
BARILLA: Yes. And I think things start to snowball.
HARLOW: Has preferential treatment been given to these boys because they're part of the football team?
SHERIFF FRED ABDALLA, JEFFERSON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE: No. That's not true. They're facing charges. No. HARLOW: The sheriff of Jefferson County where Steubenville is located told us he's received threatening calls at home over the handling of the case. Despite the fact that the case is being prosecuted by the Ohio attorney general's office.
ABDALLA: Christmas day the day after they're calling my home? That I hey, you stupid SOB, why aren't you arresting more football players. Or hey, you idiot bastard, why aren't you out there doing your job arresting more Steubenville football players?
HARLOW: Sheriff Abdalla believes some of what is being posted online and on social media about the case is false.
ABDALLA: It gives us a black eye. And when you have people continue to put false information out there, you know, it's tough to make it go away.
HARLOW: Steubenville police Chief William McCafferty says he's also come under fire.
What role has social media played in this, in your opinion?
WILLIAM MCCAFFERTY, STEUBENVILLE POLICE CHIEF: I believe they're trying to make themselves the judge and jury on this and the investigating -- they want to investigate and try everybody. If you have -- if this they have something that can substantiate the statements that they're making out there, if they don't want to come to my department, the attorney general released a hot line number last night. They can go to him.
HARLOW: But in the age of social media, what previously would have played out in the courthouse now reflexes on the entire town.
BARILLA: I feel the same way. I mean, Penn State, the whole college, all the students that were -- that go there are condemned because of an actions of a certain few. It's the same thing happening here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: And we will take you live to Steubenville at the top of the hour.
Lance Armstrong's attorney denies reports of discussions between his client and anti-doping agencies. That statement follows a "New York Times" report that Armstrong is considering publicly admitting to doping. He was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned from psyching for life last year. Armstrong has repeatedly denied using performance enhancing drugs.
Then there's this. A new poll finds more Americans disapprove of that fiscal cliff deal than approve. Gallup found 43 percent approve, 45 disapprove and 12 percent had no opinion. Along party lines, more than 60 percent of Democrats gave their OK to the compromise bill which among many other things taxed the wealthier at higher rates. But more than 60 percent of Republicans disliked the deal. Gallup also found of all the political leaders involved in the showdown, house speaker John Boehner ended up with the worst approval ratings but not by much.
And if those people polled had heard about some of the tax goodies by the into the fiscal cliff deal, well the approval rating might be even lower. Brian Todd explains.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The tax perks for some industries that have been extended in this deal might make you blow a gasket like gaskets found on Nascar tracks which because of this bill have plenty of money to clean those up. The cliff deal has a tax break worth about $70 million for the next two years for motorsports entertainment complexes. What are we talking about here?
TOM SCHATZ, CITIZENS AGAINST GOVERNMENT WASTE: We are talking about places where car races occur.
TODD: The building of tracks.
SCHATZ: The building of tracks, perhaps the renovation of a track.
TODD: Do they need that kind of a break?
SCHATZ: It doesn't matter whether they need it or not, they've managed to get it.
TODD: What do you think of this, extending the tax credit for another year at a cost of $59 million for algae growers and others who are trying to produce something called Syliolosic (ph) bio-fuels. That's fuel made from the fiber parts of grasses, trees and yes, algae.
Here's what Tom Schatz of the group citizens against government waste says about that.
It's pretty outrageous.
SCHATZ: Absolutely. This is a product not been used commercially yet, in the United States.
TODD: This professor Patrick Kangas of University of Maryland says that's true. But as someone who spent years researching how to turn algae into fuel, he says it's worth trying.
PATRICK KANGAS, PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: Algae actually grows faster than any other kinds of plants. That's why it may well be the best source as a feed stock for bio-fuels.
TODD: But the cliff deal also gives tax breaks worth $4 million over two years to the makers of plug-in electric motorcycles and $430 million to movie and TV producers.
SCHATZ: Large companies, this does not help small businesses, limit is $15 million as the amount of money that they can expense. So, it's not a low budget film to say the least.
TODD: But if it encourages them to do their -- to produce their means in the United States rather than taking it overseas, isn't that a good thing.
SCHATZ: Just because something is subsidized elsewhere doesn't mean the U.S. has to subsidize something.
TODD: Why, when all the arguments during the cliff crisis were over responsible budgeting was all this included?
RYAN LIZZA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: They just didn't have enough time. These tax breaks, the easy thing to do on these was simply to extend them. These aren't new.
TODD: And we can't even point to one or two congressman in particular and expose them. Tom Schatz says, unlike with earmarks where we could get a list of lawmakers who requested money for certain projects, there's no such requirement for these breaks. There's no specific state or location that can be identified with a given expenditure.
Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: You know him as the price line negotiator and captain Kirk. Now William Shatner is taking to the stage performing his own life story. He's got quite a lot to tell you next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Who would win in a fight, captain Kirk or captain Picard? Because I understand that you and Patrick Stewart are good friends in real life?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are. In real life, he could probably kick my ass.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SAVIDGE: Last hour, we told you about William Shatner's newest role. He is acting out his own life story, that is, in a one-man show called Shatner's world, we just live in it. But many of you remember him, of course, from what is undeniably his most famous role and that is captain Kirk in star trek.
My colleague Don Lemon talked to Shatner and he got the inside look at the show.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: You share what many consider the first interracial kiss on television. Did you realize that how ground-breaking that moment was?
WILLIAM SHATNER, ACTOR: Not in the terms of ground-breaking. I just realized how lovely her lips were. LEMON: Really? That's all you thought about.
SHATNER: Anything that was breaking there might have been her lips, but not ground breaking in terms of a racial kiss, no. She was and is a beautiful woman.
LEMON: This was the 1960s. Were you award at all about your career and that it would have any sort of detrimental effect on your career by, you know, have a sharing a kiss with an African-American woman?
SHATNER: It never occurred to me no.
LEMON: I got a real geekie star trek question for you. I was a Trekkie. Who would win in a fight, captain Kirk or captain Picard because I understand that you and Patrick Stewart are good friends in real life.
SHATNER: We are. In real life, he could probably kick my ass. In fiction, I would kick his ass. Can you say ass on television?
LEMON: Of course you can. Yes. And you are captain Kirk.
SHATNER: Right and I would have kicked his ass but realize this, Patrick Stewart was a Boxer as a kid. He had a boxing -- he went to boxing school and all. So, it would be an interesting fistfight if we had pillows on our fists to see who would win.
LEMON: The new "star trek," I'm not sure if you've seen it. But it seems to be very violent, lots of explosions and I mean, it's a different kind of "star trek." what do you think of it?
SHATNER: Exactly. I mean, J.J. Abrams is a great filmmaker, and the way he has brought a major audience in to the franchise is to make a ride. So the "star trek" becomes one of those rides with explosions and action and the wonderful people they've got playing the roles. He has made "star trek" popular once again with a far larger audience. So he seems to be doing the right thing.
The star trek that we were in told a more personal story, told a story that had moral soul to it, if you will, but the large screen encourages explosions and shooting them ups.
LEMON: You and Leonard Nimoy have worked together on and off for the past 50 years starting even before "Star Trek" with the "Man from Uncle" in 1964, "Mission Impossible." He was the best man at one of your weddings. Do you guys still hang out?
SHATNER: We don't see each other very much now. Life has taken us apart. But he's a dear, dear man.
LEMON: Can you make that hand symbol? I heard that you can't make it. Live long and prosper.
SHATNER: I can't make be it. It sort of -- there's a finger up in the air somewhere. But, I'm not quite sure what it is. LEMON: What people don't know the about you and what I didn't know in doing research is that you have millions of dollars for children's charity. You're very kind. You have a soft spot for certain things. How did you get involved in that? You also auctioned off a kidney stone for habitat for humidity. A lot of pain did a lot of good.
SHATNER: A lot of uric acid with that, that's true. You know, the salient thing, the thing that I never forget is that every human being has their story as we talked about earlier, that is their need for respect, has their spirit, their soul.
LEMON: Right.
SHATNER: And you can never forget that no matter what the person's circumstances are. They, and again, the one-man show, I touch on this note. We're on that journey together, the journey through to death. And we don't know what's on the other side of that line of death. So we're locked in this embrace of the journey and the apprehension of what happens after we die. And it seems to suggest, and I make this point in that show, that we should help each other to make that journey easier and more meaningful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: William Shatner reflecting on life.
Meanwhile, your Smartphone is about to get even smarter. Soon it could help run your lights in your house, maybe warm up your car and more. We'll show you the future just ahead.
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SAVIDGE: Turning your lights on and off, warming up your car, unlocking your doors. Simple things but soon your Smartphone will be able to do those things for you.
CNN money tech reporter, that is Laurie Segall, spoke to two entrepreneurs about this latest technology.
LAURIE SEGALL, CNN MONEY TECHNOLOGY REPORTER: Martin, we always joke about our lives being trolled by our smart phones. Well, that's actually becoming a reality. There are now ways your Smartphone can do everything from unlock the door to turn on the lights. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's 10 below.
SEGALL (voice-over): Warm up your car with your Smartphone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you for flying with us.
SEGALL: Technology now possible and starting to take off.
ZACH SUPALLA, CEO, SPARK: You're starting to see more products connect to the internet. And I think over time, it's starting to create the sort of home of the future where everything talks to each other and things happen automatically like the Jetsons vision.
SEGALL: So, what does the home of the future look like?
SUPALLA: I've got a button on my phone that I can press and when I press it, right away it's off.
SEGALL: Spark is a company building a product that connects items in your home with your Smartphone.
SUPALLA: Our first product is the socket and it's a little device that screws in your light bulb socket, it connects to the internet over Wi-Fi and lets you control your lights from Smartphone tablet, computer, wherever.
SEGALL: The idea started as a technology built for the founder's father who is deaf.
SUPALLA: If I text him and he's at home he doesn't note if his Phone's not in his pocket. And so, I wanted to build something that would let his lights flash when he got a text message.
SEGALL: Spark is one of several companies looking to make your home more connected. A company called smart things lets users attach wireless sensors around your house that make everything from your window to your refrigerator Smartphone controlled.
DAVID TISCH, INVENTOR, SMARTTHINGS: What they're trying to build a hub in the middle of your home that allows hardware such as your scale, your stove, your door, your dog to talk to it and then software that allows you to be aware of what's going on. And so, it will send notifications, hey, your dog just went outside. Hey, you left your door open. The lights are on.
SEGALL: Is it just the technology's smart enough now.
TISCH: The platforms have been built. And so, there's connectivity both in your pocket, through Wi-Fi, through 3G and LTE, but there is also connectivity at home.
SEGALL: And major industry players are taking note. GE took the concept outside the home experimenting with sensors placing them on everything from wind turbines to measure efficiency to hospital patients to keep track of them in the building.
TISCH: You have this controller in your pocket that can enable you to do things that three, five ten years ago were wildly impossible.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SEGALL: Home automation that has been around for ages but entrepreneurs say it's the price that's changes. The tech is becoming cheaper and people are buying it. Spark's device is around $50 while the smart things hub with the handful of sensors starts at $170 - Martin. SAVIDGE: Cool stuff. If you want high-tech ideas and reviews, just go to CNN.com/tech and look for the gaming and gadgets tab.
Here is what's trending this hour. House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi that is, is explaining why her office photo shopped a group picture, that is, of 61 Democratic congresswomen. Four congresswomen were added after the fact, because they couldn't be there for the original photo. And the others got tired of waiting in the cold for them to show up.
An American eagle pilot getting ready to board his flight was arrested in Minnesota after workers smelled alcohol on his breath. Officers took the pilot into custody and administered a breathalyzer test, which he failed. The flight from Minneapolis to St. Paul -- or Minneapolis-St. Paul, rather, to New York was delayed two-and-a-half hours.
And this, rare photo of a teenage Princess Diana will be auctioned later this month. The photo is described as an uncommon early 10 x 8 glossy news photo of a young Diana. It goes to auction January 17th in Amherst, New Hampshire.
How good was the rescue of this burning ship in New Zealand? Well, it is so good, it deserves a heartfelt hackie paki (ph), translation on the way.
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SAVIDGE: It was like something out of a movie or maybe a television show. A fire breaks out on a boat. No rescue crew's in sight of the but then the anonymous hero appears and makes the big splash, literally.
Jeanne Moos has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When a vessel catches fire, the best way to put it out is probably with a hose. But when a boat is aflame on a little lake in New Zealand and there's no hose in sight, this is a sight for sore eyes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What are you doing?
MOOS: Two men doused the flames with the spray from their speedboat. Haden Oliver caught it on tape.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's crazy!
MOOS: The maneuver was performed not once, but four times. Someone called emergency services, but it took 25 minutes for fire trucks to reach Lake Linden and by then the speedboat did its trick, impressing even dispatch manager on duty, (INAUDIBLE).
What do you call that technique they used?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I call it ingenuous.
MOOS: Online admirers said it was as if David Hasselhoff from "bay watch" were at the wheel, or James bond, except in his movies, 007 tends to set fires rather than put them out. The speedboat even towed the burned-up craft to the landing. Its occupant had jumped overboard and made it safely ashore. Now, the boat was a complete wreck, at least its 25 gallons of fuel didn't blow up and start a brush fire. Thanks to the speedboat's spray.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's almost like he practiced it.
MOOS: The fire dispatch manager had a message for the mystery speedboaters, delivered in a lingo of native New Zealanders.
Just pakipaki, which is like "well-done" in Maori, New Zealand.
MOOS: Pakipaki, Mr. Bond. In this case, where there's fire, now there's only smoke. SOS, splash our ship.
Jeanne moos, CNN. New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
SAVIDGE: Well done.
Well, is Lance Armstrong trying to get back into cycling? The "New York Times" reports that he may admit to doping and I'm asking a legal analyst just how likely that is.
Stay right here for that.
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